Chapter 1
Sam
I pushed the door in at the sheriff’s station and marched past Grace, the sheriff’s administrative assistant, who watched me intently from behind the glass window that separated her from the lobby area.
Her pulse was beating fast, and her brown eyes were wide as fear crackled in the air. “Sam, you can’t go back there without Stan’s approval.”
I was a man on a mission, and the sheriff could fight me, shoot me, or knock me out, but I was getting answers if I had to crush Norman Collier’s skull, which I should’ve done last night when I found the vampire guardian in my children’s nursery.
Eight hours had passed since whoever had been with Collier had taken Orion and Luna from my sister’s house in coastal Maine, where I thought we would be safe. No fucking luck.
I wasn’t sure what was up or down or if I was even breathing. My lungs burned like a motherfucker, and my black heart was ready to stop beating every time I thought about my kids in the hands of strangers.
My wife had been beside herself, crying, mumbling, and running around town with me, the deputies, Tripp, Sheriff Stan, Conrad, George, and the townsfolk. She was ready to murder someone too. Together, she and I could leave bodies like roadkill in our wake. As it stood, she was in the car on the phone, talking to her sister Jordyn, checking to make sure Ellie and Rorie were okay. We had an army of townsfolk at the house, including Tripp, Conrad, and George. So, I didn’t see anyone getting through this time.
Layla and I had snuck off to confront Norman Collier and her deranged sister Rianne. Both of them were locked up behind three layers of protection—a metal door, a glass barricade, and steel bars. I was counting the minutes before the sheriff realized where I was. He knew I could do some damage, but even as powerful as I was, it would take a large amount of my energy to shatter a two-foot glass door. Like I gave a fuck. Nothing was about to stop me from getting answers from Collier. He hadn’t cooperated with me last night, but I wasn’t giving up.
We’d torn up every place in Dewsbury, Maine, including businesses, homes, backyards—every nook and hidey-hole there was in this town. Even Rebekah had shifted into wolf form and searched all the wooded areas nearby. Nothing. She couldn’t even detect Orion’s or Luna’s scents. The kidnappers probably sped off in a vehicle or a boat. I couldn’t wrap my head around the latter. I would’ve heard the engine since Layla and I had been on the beach with Rorie.
I tore the handle off the locked door that led from the lobby into the large space filled with desks, filing cabinets, Stan’s office, and the entrance to the basement where the vampire cells were located.
Grace, a petite vampire, squealed. “Sam Mason, you know you can’t get into the cellblock. Wait for the sheriff.”
Like hell I was waiting for anyone.
Patience wasn’t my strong suit, especially now that two of my quadruplets were gone. I itched to pull out every strand of my hair one by one. Guilt was riding me hard. I should’ve sensed danger—heard it, smelled it, even. I was a vampire, for fuck’s sake.
But so were George, Conrad, and the three deputies, and they hadn’t heard or seen a fucking thing. It was as if the kidnappers were invisible. Everyone was scratching their heads, replaying the moments leading up to when they’d been struck with tranquilizer darts seemingly at the same time. If they had been, it meant that there were at least five assholes hiding on top of the rocky embankment across from the house. The only odd thing that they remembered was a distinct odor of eucalyptus right before they went down.
Grace continued to call my name as I trudged into the empty room. If the deputies weren’t at the house, they were interviewing residents and hunting for my kids. We just needed someone to give us a description of any strangers that they might’ve seen. The problem was that most residents had been asleep during the abduction.
I stomped around a table and a desk, my attention on the door that read “Personnel Only.”
Collier would talk, or else I would kill the fucker. The only reason I hadn’t last night was I’d thought that the sheriff or Tripp might be successful. But no such fucking luck. It was time for torture tactics, as in my elemental powers. In particular, my fire element, which was pulsing down my arms and heating up my palms.
Reading his mind would have been an option if my twin sister Jo and my old man were here. Even still, guardians lived on mind-blocking potions. Eventually the drug would wear off, but it would take months or weeks, and we didn’t have that amount of time.
Heavy footsteps pounded on the floor behind me. “Sam Mason, don’t you dare go down that basement without my permission,” the sheriff warned in a tone that would be lethal to anyone other than me.
It didn’t take long for Stan to realize Layla and I were missing from the house or to figure out where we’d run off to. Still, I dug deep for the restraint not to tear off Stan’s head. He was trying to help, but he was also the law and followed the vampire government’s orders to a T.
On an inhale, I spun around. “I have to talk to Collier again.” Or rather, somehow force him to spill his guts.
According to Jordyn, she’d faintly heard a female voice in the nursery while on the edge of dropping into a deep sleep. But when she woke, she didn’t see anyone but Collier. We needed to know who that woman was.
Stan, tall, lanky, and sporting fangs, marched past a table covered with stacks of papers and folders. “The asshole isn’t talking. All of us tried, Sam.”
I fisted my hands at my sides. “I have to give it one last shot.”
The sheriff skirted past me and blocked the door leading into the cellblock, the gold badge pinned to his uniform glinting beneath the overhead lights. “The last thing I need is a dead vampire. The council would have my ass on a platter.”
My face twisted in all directions, my nostrils flaring. “Fuck the council.” My voice boomed, shaking items on desks. “Why are you worried about your ass? My babies are missing. They’re newborns, for fuck’s sake. They’ll be a month old next week. A month old.” I emphasized the last statement.
I seriously was ready to strangle the law enforcement vampire. This was one instance when laws and rules and asking nicely went out the window.
He crossed his arms over his chest. “I can’t say I understand what you’re going through because I don’t have children. I’m helping in any way I can. But killing Collier will not further our efforts.”
But it sure as fuck will make me feel better.
“Sam.” The sheriff lost the tension in his voice. “Your tech guy, Sawyer, is looking into Collier’s background. We’ll find something there.”
I shoved shaky fingers through my hair. “That might take forever, and that’s time my kids don’t have.”
“Think about your ass for a second,” the sheriff said. “If you kill him, you can kiss any freedom you have goodbye. That doesn’t help your situation.”
I paced in a small aisle between desks, hating that he was right. Up until two days ago, I had a so-called warrant out for my arrest. Or rather, the elders wanted to use me as a scapegoat—bring me in and show their human government counterparts they were willing to punish vampires. All because I’d accidentally shown my vampire side to a parking lot full of humans, and since then, my ugly mug had gone viral nationwide.
Thankfully, that warrant was put on hold while my father forced the council and heads of state to vote on whether or not to keep our existence a secret or launch a full-blown campaign that would announce our existence to the world. If the former was decided on, I would be hunted and brought in to face the council.
I came to an abrupt halt and threw up my hands. “Then what the fuck can we do?”
“Sam!” Layla shouted from the lobby. “I want to talk to my sister.”
The sheriff tensed.
“You think I’m trouble?” My wife was a tornado about to wreak havoc if she didn’t get her way. Then an idea hit me. “Let Layla question Collier.”
My huntress rushed in. Her auburn hair was windblown, her face blotchy as if her blood pressure had soared to new heights, and she was gasping for breath.
She held her chest, gulped in air, and regarded me with fire in her blue eyes. To say she was pissed, upset, worried, and ready to pluck someone’s heart out was an understatement. “We need to know where my grandmother is. I’m certain she’s the leader. She’s working with Norman. She has to be. It’s too coincidental for Rianne to breeze into town at the same time as Norman.”
I wrapped her in my arms, her cherry scent calming me for a brief second. “Baby doll, breathe for me, please.”
She obeyed as a second of silence glued us together. Then she shrugged out of my hold and fixated on the sheriff. “I want to talk to my sister again.”
The sheriff’s dark eyes were shifting back and forth as he stared at her. “How about you question Collier? It seems Tripp, Sam, and I didn’t have any luck. Maybe you will.”
“Thank you, man,” I said to him. I knew it would take more than talking to Collier. We needed to inflict pain on the asshole if we wanted answers. But maybe, just maybe, Layla could get him to open up with one tiny clue. “Baby doll, you might be able to pull something out of him. And I’ll question Rianne. If she doesn’t cooperate, then I’ll compel her.” Maybe the bitch would sing like a canary at that threat. “You know how much she hated when I put her into a coma-like state. But, Stan, that means I have to go into her cell.”
The sheriff reared back. “No way. You’ll kill her.”
I scraped a hand over my unshaven jaw. “You know I have to be close to her to compel her. More importantly, Rianne feels the only way to fight me is to be like me. What if we give her the opportunity to confront me face-to-face? She can even take a shot at me if that gets her talking. If she doesn’t, then I’ll compel her. I promise that’s all I’ll do.” As much as it pained me to keep my fists to myself and not tear off her head, I wanted answers more than anything.
Stan rubbed his temples, still blocking the door.
Layla chewed on a fingernail, her eyes brightening. “I like the idea of me talking to Norman and Sam questioning my sister. She hated when Sam compelled her. I’m sure she’ll talk if we use that as a threat.”
Stan bobbed his head, finally warming up to the idea.
“Sam’s technique could work, because I tried to compel her the normal way last night with no luck. But I’m not thrilled about Sam entering her cell. Still, she’s not exactly a vampire governed by our laws.” Now he was talking.
“Who cares about laws?” Layla fired back. “Our babies are gone, Stan. Orion won’t survive without Sam’s blood. I’m—” She bent over, sucking in air as she held her stomach.
I grabbed her arms. “What is it?” I helped her into a desk chair.
“I don’t know. I’m dizzy all of a sudden.” She rubbed her legs. “I have this weird tingling sensation radiating in my thighs too. What’s happening?”
“I’ll get some water.” Stan hurried off.
“Maybe you need blood.” I felt her forehead. “You’re warm. When was the last time you had anything to drink or eat?” We’d been so consumed for the last several hours that we hadn’t had time to grab food, and at some point, I had to quench my bloodthirst or I might pass out. “Your face is red, baby doll.” My guess—she was about to have a nervous breakdown. “Your heart rate is off the charts as well.”
She blew out a breath. “My throat isn’t burning, but I haven’t had blood since two nights ago, which isn’t unusual. I only have it when I feel that scratchiness that comes with bloodthirst.”
A boulder dropped into the pit of my stomach as worry coursed through my veins. “You need to rest.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t treat me like I’m fragile, vampire, or I’ll twist off your balls. Our children’s lives are at stake.”
My anger rose even though I loved her stubborn and feisty side. Those attributes had drawn me to her. “Layla Mason, you won’t be any help if you’re laid up in the hospital like your uncle Jack. Remember, heart attacks run in the Aberdeen family.”
The man had worked himself into a breakdown after he’d seen his son Noah, who’d been the first victim to take the serum. The sight of Noah’s animallike features had sent Jack to our infirmary. Regardless, as of three weeks ago, Noah had been in our prison on the naval base in Massachusetts.
She shuddered as I helped her to a desk chair. “I know. I’m so out of my mind, Sam. What will happen when Orion doesn’t get your blood? Plus, Ellie and Rorie aren’t safe here. That woman with Norman in the nursery said they needed all four of our children. Why? Is the answer related to my mom’s message from the dead about the prophecy? Which I can’t stop thinking about, and Kendra comes to mind.”
Squatting down in front of her, I gripped her calves, growling for nothing more than to quiet the beast within as I felt every emotion bottled up inside her.
“My mom told me to find Kendra,” she said.
“She probably wants Kendra to explain to you what she knows about your mom’s family. After all, Kendra grew up with your mom.”
We’d learned recently that Kendra knew Layla’s mom, Meredith Drake, and Meredith’s sister, Vanessa.
Layla sat forward. “Maybe, but there’s more to my mom’s message about one of our children being prophesied to change the course of humankind. I mean, after she told me that, I asked her which of our children she was talking about. Her immediate answer was to find Kendra.”
I rubbed her legs. “We’ll connect with Kendra, but right now, we need to focus on what’s in front of us, which is you and your health.”
If anything happened to Layla, I would be toast. I needed her more than she would ever know.
